Encyclopedia of

Orpheus

Orpheus, according to Greek myth, is one of the few who descended into
Hell and lived to tell about it. The son of Oeagrus (King of Thrace) and
the muse Calliope, he is famous for his musical and poetic gifts inherited
from Apollo and the Muses. His lyre and his odes were so charming that
upon hearing them, wild animals became quiet, and trees and rocks started
to move.

Orpheus fell in love with the nymph Eurydice and married her, but she died
suddenly from a snake bite. In despair, Orpheus followed Euridyce into
Hades (Hell) to bring her back. His music and lyrics enchanted
Hades' protectors, even the triple-headed dog, Cerberus, and the
gods of Hades were persuaded to bring back to life his dead wife. One
condition of Eurydices' return was that he could not look back at
her until he reached the threshold of Hades. Orpheus looked back to see
whether Eurydice was following him and lost her forever.

Orpheus's death is subject to many interpretations, but the most
common is that the Thracian women, jealous of his love and fidelity toward
his deceased wife and hurt by his indifference, tore his body to pieces
and threw his head and lyre into the river Hebre. His remains finally
reached Lesbos Island, the cradle of lyric poetry. Orpheus is also
considered an initiate, a prophet who retained secrets from the afterlife,
having brought back revelations from his descent into Hell.

The Orpheus myth has inspired many forms of artistic representation, among
them the vanished Polygnote fresco (fifth century B.C.E.), which presented
Orpheus during his descent into Hell, that has now disappeared;
Orfeo,
a musical drama by Monteverdi (1607);
Orph'ee aux Enfers,
a spectacular opera by Offenbach (1858) and
Le testament d'Orph'ee,
a film by Jean Cocteau (1959).